Saturday, January 26, 2008

Big Garden Birdwatch

This weekend is the RSPB's annual Big Garden Birdwatch. You're asked to spend an hour watching birds in your garden and then submit your results to the RSPB, using their online recording sheet. Last year 400,000 people took part, which makes it the world's biggest bird survey. It's serious scientific research, providing valuable information about British birds:

The survey has recorded the huge declines in some of our most familiar birds. Since 1979, the number of house sparrows counted has fallen by 52% and the number of starlings by 76%.

However, it isn't all bad news - chaffinchs and great tits have both seen their numbers increase since 1979 by 36 and 52 per cent respectively.

Our scientists can then use these patterns in bird numbers to help prioritise our bird conservation work.

Why not spend an hour this weekend watching the birds, and help contribute to this vital research?

Cartoon from the talented and curiously attractive chaps at Climate Cartoons. Click on the panel to read the full strip.

6 comments:

If anyone wants to send a posse down to my garden, they are entirely welcome to try and count the birds.. I wouldn't know where to start counting them on my own.. it's easier to count the dead ones that the cats have brought in than to count the ones still flying about..

The cats haven't brought the buzzard or a red kite in yet though.. :-)